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Friday, July 4, 2014

Vatican City, 4 July 2014 (VIS) – The
Council of Cardinals, gathered at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, will
conclude its meetings this evening. The next sessions have been
scheduled for 15-17 September, 9-11 December and 9-11 February 2015.

With regard to the themes considered,
as well as those indicated in recent days (the Governorate, the
Secretariat of State and the Institute for the Works of Religion),
the Council resumed its reflections on the dicasteries of the Curia.
The Laity and Family were studied in particular depth, especially in
terms of the contributions and roles that should be assumed by
laypeople, married couples and women.

Decisions were not made, but more
detailed proposals were offered that will subsequently be inserted
into the overall framework of the new configuration of the Curia.

This afternoon the Council will
continue its meeting, turning its attention to the dicasteries that
have so far been studied less thoroughly.

Other themes on which there has been an
exchange of opinions during the meetings include the nunciatures and
their work, and the procedures for the appointment of bishops.

Aside from the contribution of the
Commission of Cardinals for the Supervision of the IOR, heard on
Tuesday and Wednesday, there was no further participation from
entities external to the Council.

With regard to the working atmosphere
and approach, the participants have expressed great satisfaction. The
overall tone has been described as “free, frank and friendly”
(the “3Fs”). The Pope participates naturally in the dialogue,
promoting a climate of free expression.

There are still no texts that may be
considered as drafts of the new Constitution, since the work proceeds
in the form of partial contributions, generally presented by
individual Cardinals charged with the task of studying specific
matters.

Vatican City, 4 July 2014 (VIS) – On
28 September Pope Francis will meet elderly people and grandparents
in St. Peter's Square during the first international day dedicated to
old age, organised by the Pontifical Council for the Family. The
encounter, which will take the theme “The blessing of long life”,
coincides with the Day of Prayer for the Synod on the family and is
inspired by the Pontiff's many references to the situation
experienced by the elderly and his frequent comments on the tragedy
of the throwaway culture typical of a “population that does not
care for its elderly” with attitudes “behind which there is a
hidden euthanasia”.

The event is scheduled to begin around
9 a.m. in St. Peter's Square and will culminate with a Holy Mass
celebrated by the Pope at 10.30 a.m. It will be necessary to register
in order to attend, and all information on the event will be
available from 14 July on the website of the Pontifical Council for
the Family (www.familia.va), who may be contacted via email at
events@family.va or by sending a fax to the number 00390669887272.

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president
of the dicastery, presented the encounter as an opportunity to
reaffirm that the elderly “are not merely the object of attention
and care but rather the subjects of a new perspective of life”. He
added, “Thanks to God, our lives have become longer … but on the
other hand, adequate reflection on this theme has not been developed.
It exists neither in politics nor in the economy, nor even in
culture. Therefore, old age must be rethought, and the commitment of
the elderly in the world and in the Church must be reconsidered, as
should the Church's approach to them”.